Sewing Sunsets

I started a new sewing project yesterday, and with each new project there is always a learning curve.  This is a pattern that I’ve had around a while, but have never made it before.  It’s really cute, but it’s putting me through my paces.

So, what have I learned from this poncho so far?  First, I learned that the layout is a bit tricky, but I mastered that, and then I’ve  also learned that there are lots of bias edges/seams on a poncho!   Sewing on the bias isn’t necessarily difficult, but it is a bit tricky.  I found that I had to use a sewing technique that I learned from Sandra Betzina in order to keep the bias seam from stretching as I sewed.  Sandra Betzina also uses this same technique to ease sleeve caps and other areas that need easing.  However, I remember that she said this would also work to prevent a fabric/seam from stretching as you sewed.  I put my finger behind the presser foot, with a little fold of fabric touching the presser foot,  as I sewed and this seemed to prevent the seam from stretching out of shape.  Once the fabric gets bunched up behind the presser foot, you let go of that part of the fabric and take another fold of fabric, place your finger behind the presser foot and start sewing again.  I’m not sure I’m explaining this very well, so I hope that this picture helps.

Today I sewed the center back seam and the center front seam of the poncho.  I also completed the pocket, the pocket flap, and the hood of the poncho.  So, what else have I learned from this poncho?  Stay tuned for Part Two!

I find that I enjoy having pockets on all my garments.  My favorite pants and skirts all have pockets; some are patch pockets, and some are in-seam pockets.  I enjoy sewing both types of pockets, but the easiest pocket to make and sew is probably the patch pocket.  If you aren’t too sure of your sewing skills, make the pocket out of the same fabric and the pocket will blend right in.  However, if you are very comfortable with your sewing skills and want to show off a little bit, then make a contrast pocket and do some fancy stitching! 

The pattern piece for a patch pocket is very simple–usually just a square.  The pattern that I’m using had the option of placing the pocket pattern piece on the straight of grain, or on the bias, and I chose to put my pattern on the straight of grain.   

At the top of each pocket pattern piece is a line going across the top.  This line indicates the fold line; how deep the hem will be for this particular pocket.  I believe that this particular pocket has a 1 1/4 inch seam allowance for the top of the pocket.  Once I have cut out my pocket from my fashion fabric, I then finish all the edges of the pocket with the serger.  I have chosen to do this because the raw edges, while enclosed inside the pocket, might have a tendency to ravel and finishing the edges of the pocket piece will both prevent fraying, and also look nicer.   After serge finishing the pocket edges, I then measure the hem of the top of the pocket and go sew the short edges of the pocket at 5/8 inch seam allowance.

Once you have sewn the short edges of the pocket hem, cut the corners diagonally, and then use the point turner to get a nice sharp corner, and then sew the hem.  My sewing machine has setting where the needle is all the way to the left, and this allows me to sew close to the edge of the hem.

After sewing the hem, it’s a simple matter of pressing up the sides and bottom at 5/8 inches and then sewing the pocket to the garment.   You can find more information about how to complete the pocket, including how to miter the corners at www.sewseamless.com/Page26.html and www.sewseamless.com/Page27.html

Sometimes I just feel the need for a little fabric therapy.  It’s much different than sewing therapy, but still related.  Fabric therapy involves going to the fabric store to view and “pet” fabric, even if you don’t make a purchase.  Yesterday, I went to the Sewing Expo and today I made a trip to JoAnn’s.  At the moment, I’m looking for some cute prints for boys’ shirts, but I didn’t find anything today.  I found wonderful prints for girls, of course.  Maybe I should try reverse psychology and go looking for fabrics for boys when I really want fabric that is more suitable for girls, and vice versa.  However, just because I didn’t buy any fabric, I didn’t let that frustrate me; I just see that as another excuse to go back to the fabric store in the near future.

 The project I started today is another project that is destined to be sent to charity.  I’m making a girl’s flannel poncho with a hood.  I must admit that the pattern pieces and the layout confused me at first, but once I figured it out, it was quite easy.  I’m not quite through cutting it out, but that should get done tomorrow and I think the sewing will go rather quickly because there aren’t any sleeves to set in or too many seams in general.  Hmmm…..I wonder what my next sewing project will be?  It doesn’t matter.  Sewing and fabric therapy are both good for my soul. 

The Sewing Fair, that is! Yesterday afternoon I attended the Sewing Expo in my area.  I was excited to see quite a few vendors and especially Vogue Fabrics!  They were doing quite a business, too!  They had brought samples of Michael Miller prints and I bought several of those. These will be incorporated into a quilt that I’m making for my newest grandson.

There were quite a few fabric vendors there, and I found more fabric for the quilt I’m making.  My daughter has chosen a rather unique green to decorate this child’s room with and I’ve had trouble finding cute fabric for the quilt, so I was pleased to find some really cute prints at the Sewing Expo.  It was fun to see all the different fabrics and get lots of fabric therapy by petting lots and lots of wonderful fabrics! Yes, I think yesterday was a very good day indeed.  A wonderful day at the Sewing Fair!

When I moved to my  new area, I met several women who enjoyed sewing and quilting.  They all told me about the Sewing Expo (www.sewingexpo.com) that comes to this area every year.  Last year, I was unable, to go, but this year, I will be attending, and I’m quite excited!

Are there some sewing techniques that you don’t quite understand, or that just drive you crazy?  When I first started sewing, one term that I did not understand was understitching.  In fact, I did a lot of top stitching before I discovered what understitching really is and what this technique accomplishes in the finished garment.  Understitching prevents the facing from rolling to the outside of the seam.  In other words, understitching keeps the facings firmly in their place!

When you are sewing a bodice and you have sewn the back and front facings together, resulting in one piece, then you’re ready to sew the facings to the bodice.                     

Once that is done, you then trim/grade the seams and then understitch.  I encourage beginners not to trim/grade too much of the seam so understitching will be easier until you have a little more practice.  Make sure that you have cut the corners diagonally and clipped the curved seam around the neck.

Then, turn the fabric to the right side (right side of the fabric will face you); the seam should be toward the facing piece so you can sew.  You won’t be able to see the facing seam, but you will probably be able to feel it.  Sew very close to the seam.  My sewing machine has a function where I can move the needle to the left and that helps me when I am understitching.

As you can see, understitching is done on the right side of the garment and you can’t see the seam while you’re sewing, but you should be able to feel it underneath your fingers.  And if you have pressed the seam toward the facing, that will make it easier for you to understitch.  Just remember to stop understitching about an inch from the corners.  It will frustrate you if you try to understitch in this area because it simply won’t work.

This is the bodice of a dress that I made a few weeks ago.  The facings were applied, seams were trimmed, curved seams were clipped, and all were neatly pressed.  So, the next time you’re sewing, don’t skip the understitching because it really does make the finished garment look more professional.  Beginning seamstresses, don’t be afraid of understitching.  Just take your time and sew slowly.  You’ll soon be sewing–and understitching–like a pro!

(More information on understitching here: www.sewseamless.com/Page7.html )

 Happy Sewing!

Here are some of the projects that I plan to send to Mission of Hope.  I’ve been sewing children’s garments for years and it is now time to get them sent, both to make room in my closet and also to have an excuse to do some more sewing!

Some of these are recent projects.  I have many more.  I’ll take pictures and post those soon. 

This post is a detour from my usual banter about sewing in general, although I’ll probably sneak something sewing related in here at some point.    Today I want to talk about relationships and friendships and how in today’s world, people are often too busy to cultivate true friendships.  Over a decade ago, my husband and I and our two daughters were living in my hometown and my home state of Arkansas, and I was loving life!  We had weathered some difficult storms in life, but at that point, I loved my life!  My parents were ok and could take care  of themselves; my girls were pretty happy; hubby’s job was going well;  we all had friends; and I was involved in volunteer work in both church and school.  And then it all changed.  Hubby’s job was being abolished and we moved to a new city and state.  While I didn’t adapt well because I had moved away from friends and family and everything I had ever known, I did manage to get involved in volunteer work, and I did start my own homebased business; I taught beginning sewing out of my home, and truly enjoyed it.  However, I was not happy because I was used to having lots of friends and people who truly wanted to get to know you and what makes you tick–not what your likes or dislikes are, or what you do, but who you are deep down inside, flaws and everything.  I kind of thought it might be because many of the people in my new place came from a different part of the country and they didn’t experience friendships the way I had been used to experiencing friendships.

In my experience growing up, in our church, and in life in general, folks who were your friends got to know you–the  real you–what makes you laugh and cry, what your problems are, what your successes are–in other words, what makes you “tick”.  People in my (home)  region of the country called on the phone just to talk and “shoot the breeze”.  If you weren’t feeling well, or something had happened to you or  to someone in your family, you might get a phone call or two, and some folks might come and help you out by bringing a meal or doing chores or just visiting with you in order to bring comfort and support.  This wasn’t a one time thing either.  This type of support continued and true, solid friendships were born and sustained.  These types of friends are the ones  where you can confide in the other person without fear of being judged or criticized and they, in turn, confided in you as well.  There is something to be said for having a strong support group.  And because I am a very social person and an extrovert, I truly need to be around people.  It energizes me. Unfortunately, as a result of our first move, I became more isolated, and felt drained and tired a lot.  We lived in that place for ten years.  Our girls graduated from high school and went on to college.  Our oldest daughter is married and has children–our wonderful grandchildren!    But they live much too far away from us!    Hubby and I have also moved again, and while I like our new area better in some ways, and people are friendlier, generally speaking, I find that folks here don’t seem to have time for true friendships either.  We are closer to the region that I mentioned earlier and I just think that some regions of the country don’t have friendships the way other regions do.  To me, it is a sad commentary on life if we are too busy to cultivate true, deep, meaningful friendships.

 As a result of being so extremely lonely for so many years, I turned to the internet  to help combat some of that lonliness, and I have lots of friends online.  :D I feel closer to some than to others and there are a few folks that I have confided in, but even then, I think I may have held back a little.  I love my online friends and we “chat” via message boards almost every day.  I’ve even talked to some of them on the phone.  However, in my daily life, I still need someone with “skin on”–someone here locally.  I need to have the ability to call someone on the phone and say that I’m feeling sad or frustrated or angry, and be able to either talk on the phone, or go get a soft drink or bite of lunch somewhere and just talk.  I had that once with a dear friend in my hometown.  When we got together and started talking and laughing, everything seemed better and we could go to our respective homes and feel much better and handle whatever the current stress was in a healthier way.  I moved and then she moved, but even though we moved to the same state, we moved to entirely different areas of that state.  Then she moved back to our home state,  but a different area, and I moved to a different region altogether. 

I said I would find a way to relate this to sewing and I guess I have!   If I hadn’t had my sewing all these years, I would have been even  more lonely.  Sewing has provided me with many hours of comfort and brought some happiness to me because I truly feel happiest when I’m sewing!   Sewing also transports me back to those simpler times that I long for–the days when folks weren’t too busy to sit on the porch and enjoy the evening, or listen to a ballgame on the radio, or make homemade ice cream and invite friends over to share it.  Sometimes I think we’ve accomplished a lot and we’ve made lots of improvements, but sometimes I think we’ve also lost a lot in the process of progressing.  If we don’t have time to cultivate real, deep, meaningful, lasting friendships, aren’t we too busy?  Are we really enjoying the simple pleasures of life?  Yes, we have lots of wonderful gadgets that have great whistles and bells, and I’m sure we all enjoy those, but what about the joy of hearing a friend’s laugh, or seeing the look on a friend’s face when you do something special for them out of the blue? Are we all too busy to enjoy the simple things in life?  I certainly hope not!

I mentioned in my last post that most of the sewing projects I am working on now are destined for charity.  For many years, I’ve had a dream of starting my own sewing ministry, but have never quite found the support I needed in order to do that.  As a result, I’ve decided that this sewing ministry just needs to start soon.  I have always known that I could sew if I couldn’t do anything else in order to officially start this sewing ministry, so I have sewn.   Over the years, I’ve used leftover fabrics to create new garments, mostly girls’ dresses, although I also plan to sew some boys’ shirts, pants, and shorts as well.  Lately, I’ve bought new fabrics for these sewing projects.  I love to sew and it makes me happy to think that some less fortunate child might have a new garment. 

When I first thought about this, I couldn’t decide which charity I wanted to donate to, so I began to research.  One thing that I have always thought is that we often are quick to help the less fortunate in other countries, which is great and I’m glad that some folks do help those people,  but sometimes I think we tend to overlook the less fortunate in our own backyard, so to speak.  As I researched, I discovered that the southeastern part of Kentucky and a part of northeastern Tennesssee–the Appalachian region– is one of the poorest areas in America today, so that is where I want to concentrate my efforts.  Luckily, I found a charity that concentrates in that area.  It is called Mission of Hope and the website is www.missionofhope.org  This is a Christian ministry and after reading their website and doing more research, I want to support them with donations of children’s clothing.  Currently, I have a lot of dresses and a few coats already made, and have several more projects that must be completed before boxing them up and sending them off, but I’m almost ready.

Since I want to start an “official” sewing ministry, I already have a name, a logo, and even a song that I would love to use as my sewing ministry’s “theme song”.  (The latter requires asking permission from the songwriter.)  I’ll fill in these details another time.  For now, I think that just writing this down in a public place will help encourage me to get this sewing ministry started.

Due to the events of the past couple of weeks, I haven’t spent as much time in my sewing room.  And I’m so ready for some sewing therapy!  Yesterday, I got out a flannel coat that I had completed except for the buttonholes.  I got three of the four completed just fine, but the third buttonhole on the coat decided not to cooperate!  I did some repair work on that so I think it will be fine.  However, I was quite tired when I sewed yesterday, and I really should know better.  This morning, I discovered that  I had used the wrong button to sew the buttonhole for this particular coat.  I don’t really think it’s going to matter since  the two coats call for the same size button.  And I’m really glad that I did not sew the buttons on this coat yesterday! 

 For the projects I’m working on, I chose several decorative buttons.  Most of the time I will choose plain buttons, but with the two particular prints that I chose for the shorts and top sets, I wanted some cute, whimsical buttons. 

I can see that I probably need to take soem better pictures of the buttons, but my camera battery died shortly after taking these pictures.   The small red ladybug buttons were used on the blue ladybug, daisy print top.  The larger yellow ladybug buttons were sewed on a jumper made out of the same fabric.  I’ll post pictures of those soon.

 Now, I have a question about sewing buttonholes. Of course, I somewhat addressed that above, but I want to question this more in depth.  Why is it that on projects that don’t really matter, or can be easily fixed, all buttonholes sew out beautifully and all goes well, but when you’re sewing something for someone else, it seems that at least one  buttonhole will decide to misbehave!  That happened to me yesterday, as I’ve already said.  While I do think I corrected the “oops”, it made me angry because these projects are all destined to go to charity.  Maybe my next round of buttonholes will behave themselves!